Knockdown davenport.



C. T, METZGER.

KNOCKDOWN DAVENPORT. APPucAndN man JUNE 6.1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

QQ l 9 1 0 11 t p Q S d Q t n 9 t a P C. T. METZGER.

KNOCKDOWN DAVENPORT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6.1918.

Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

CHARLES T. METZGEB, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE PI TLLMAN' COUCE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

KNOCKDOWN DAVENPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. to, 1913.

Application filed June 6, 1918. Serial No. 238,564.

State of Illinois, have invented certain new 1 and useful Improvements in Knockdown Davenports, of which the following" is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

Thepurpose of this invention is to provide an improvement. in knock down seats or couches of the general type commonly described by the term Davenport, one specific purpose of the invention being to provide detachable connections for such knockdown structures which shall be concealed or invisible when the structure is assembled,- that it, shall be all interior to the frame structure, as distinguished from being exposed exteriorly when the device is assembled in use. It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described, as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an end view with the nearest standard or arm member removed.

Fig. 2 is a section at the line, 22, on Fig. 1. h

Fig. 3 is a section at the line, 3--3,- on Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. l but of a modified form.

Fig. 5 is a section at the line, 5-5, on Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a section at the line, 66, on Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a detail view of a tongued fitting to be secured to an arm member.

Fig. 8 is a detail view of a stud fitting to be secured to the same arm member, in

' another place.,

In the structure shown in the drawings,

A, A, represents the end standards or arm members of the davenport. B is the back member. C is the seat. The two end standards, A, A, or arm members are adapted to be united by the back member, B, by means 7 cut with the tongue, 2 projecting from one edge, said tongue being folded at right angles to the body of the plate to form a tongue projecting off from the plane of the plate as seen clearly in Fig. 7 In forming the tongue, 50 that when bent as described .it shall project out from the plane of the plate and have its upper end sloping down and back to the plate, as seen at 2, there is left standing a lug, 2, in the original plane of the plate projecting beyond the line at which the tongue is folded. This projection, 2 serves tobrace the plate against rocking over the corner of the fold, thereby diminishing the strain upon the retaining screws, 2, by which the tongue plate is secured to the standard. The slotted plates, 1, are each formed with a slot, 1*, shaped substantially as shown,-that is, having considerable width at its lower end and tapered narrowing toward the upper end, its width at said upper end being not materially greater than the thickness of the tongue, 2*, so that said tongue being entered through the slot for engagement with the plate, on

the back member being moved down, the

upper narrower end of the slot riding on ard, and at the same time tends to cause the upper edge of the tongue to be wedged somewhat tightly in the upper narrower end of the slot, thus insuring a joint which will. not rattle. At the same time the en agement which involves the lodgment o the upper end of the slot upon the upper edge mits a limited angular movement of the arm standards with respect to the back, so that said arm standards may be spread apart slightly g is desirable for the purpose of introducing the seat member, as hereinafter explained. It will be understood that such limited angular movement is permitted without wrenching the plates, 1 and 2, from their securements in the parts, A and B, in which they are respectively mounted. On the contrary, it is possible because of, and is accompanied by, a slight upward crowding of the plate, 1, along the sloping upper edge of the tongue, 2; and the particular form of the tongue is contrived at this point so as to permit this action.

The member, C, is detachablyengageable with the end standards by means of stud plates, 3,3, which ar mount-ed upon the inner faces of the standards, and formed or slotted engaging plates, 4, 4,'wh1ch are correspondingly situated mounted upon the ends of the seat member, C, having their slots, 4, open downwardly for engaglng the studs, 3*, of the stud plate, 3, back of the heads, 3 of said studs; so that the seat may be engaged with the said standards or arm members by a downward movement of the seat with respect thereto. To prevent the disengagement of the seat from the end standards or arm members, as might happen by one taking hold under the forward edge of the seat for pulling the davenport forward, which would naturally be accompanied by a lifting movement, each slotted or forked plate, 4, is preferably made with its slot, 4*, which engages the stud, 3*, invertedly, L-shaped, that is, having the rearwardly-extending recess, 4, V at the upper end; and provision is made for a slight forward movement of the seat with respect to the end standards for completing the engagement of the studs with the forked plate by their entry into this recess, 4 Preferably such final engaging movement should not be dependent upon the thoughtfulness of the operator who is assembling the parts, but should be caused to occur automatically; and for that purpose there may beprovided at each end of the rear longitudinal frame bar, 7, of the seat member on the rear side thereof, the leaf spring, 10, which at the outer end is offset r'earwardly from the rear side of said bar and encounters the forward edge of the upright frame bar, 11, of the end standard or a block, 11*, interposed in front of it, when the seat member is pushed rearward for bringing the lower end of the slots, 4

of therear slotted or forked plates, 4, into position for engaging with their corresponding studs, 3 And upon the seat being moved down for such engagement the studs at the forward end of the arms, as

traversing upwardly the slots, 4 the reaction of these springs when the notches or recesses, 4 of the slots reach the studs, will thrust the seat member forward and effect the engagement of the studs in said recesses. 1 Inorder that the engagement of the seat member in the end standards or arm members, may also lock the back member against disengagement by upward lift,as would ohterwise be possible, and might be caused inadvertently by any oneattemptingto lift or carry the davenport by taking hold under the lower edge of the back member, or otherwise lifting upon said back member,the

slotted plates 1, on the'ends of the back member, or at least the lower of said slotted plates, at each end are formed each with a lug, 1 projecting outwardly at the upper end overhanging the upper end of the corresponding tongued plate on the end standard; and the rear one of the forked or slotted plates, 4, at each end of the seat member is provided with a rearwardly-projecting fin ger,4, which at the fully engaged position of said plate, 4, with the, stud, 3*, extends immediately above and is stopped upon said lug, 1. It will be seen that any upward movement of the back can occur only by lifting the seat member by means of engagement of said lug, 1 with said finger, 4; and that such lifting movement of the seat with respect to the end standards will be prevented because of the engagement of the studs, 3, in the recesses, 4 of the plates, 4. For disassembling the structure, the operator will necessarily first push the seat member rearward sufliciently to disengage the recess, 4, from the stud, 3*, such push being made against the resistance of the springs, 10, andwhile in this rear position the seat will be lifted to disengage the forked or slotted plates, 4, from the studs, 3. The seat having been thus detached from the arm standards, the back member is unlocked, that is, relieved from the retention which is effected by the fingers, 4, and maybe disengaged from the end standards by lifting it relatively thereto until The tongues, 2, of the tongue plates, 2, can be withdrawn from the slogs, 1 of the plates, 1.

It Wlll be observed that all the fittings by which the several parts of the davenport are disengageably secured together are substantially concealed from sight when the structure is assembled; and such concealment is due to the fact that the fittings are, so to speak, entirely within the crevices between the parts which they connect, and their concealment is not dependent upon the upholstery or any of the exterior finishings of the davenport. In an over-stuffed davenport, however, the upholsterly may be utilized to conceal some parts which might. otherwise be exposed, and in such cases it is permissible, consistently with the entire purpose of the invention, to employ for conthe coupling parts 3 and 4, a somewhat simpler construction shown in Flgs. t and 6,

which consists in extending the rear frame bar, 7, of the seat member a short distance beyond the end bars, 8, the projecting ends, 7 being adapted to ride upon the lower rail A of the end standards when entering the seat into position between these standards, which for that purpose may be spread apart at the front after having the back engaged, as seen in Fig. 9. The end standards or arm members, A, are in that case also provided with an upper rail, A spaced from said lower rail, A a distance substantiallyequal to the vertical width of the projecting ends, 7, of the rear frame bar of the seat, and the seat being stopped in its rearward movement by the encounter of said projecting ends, either with the upright, 11, of the end standards, or with blocks, 11, which may be interposed on the lower rail, A the forward side of the seat maybe depressed for engagement of the forward coupling parts,

3 and 4:, precisely as in the structure shown in the other figure. In this construction the locking of the back member by the seat member may be effected by bracket projections, 12, 12, secured to and-projecting rearwardly from the rear longitudinal bar, 7, of the seat, in position to engage above the lugs, 1, of the plates, 1, on the ends of the back member, precisely as the rearWardly-projecting fingers, 4, of the rear plates, 4, engage above said lugs in the structure of the figures first described. In this form shown in Fig. 4, the springs, 10, operate precisely as in the other structure to thrust the seat forward for engagement of the studs, 3 of the forward coupling members with the re-v cesses, 4 of the counterpart members of said couplings.

I claim:

1. In combination with a back member, arm standards and seat member, cooperating coupling parts on the arm standards on the one hand, and on the back member and seat member on the other hand, adapted to be engaged by downward movements of the back member and seat member respectively, and cooperating means on the back member and seat member for locking the back member against upward movement with respect to the arm standards.

2. In combination with a back member, arm standards and seat member, cotiperating coupling parts on the arm standards on the one hand, and on the back member and seat member on' the other hand, adapted to be engaged by downward movement of the seat member and back member, the couplin parts which connect the seat member wit% the arm standards being adapted at engaged position to lock the seat against initial upward movement, and cooperating means on the back member and seat member for locking the back member against upward movement with respect'to'the seat member at said locked postion of the seat member.

3. In combination with a back member, arm standards and seat member, cooperating coupling parts on the arm standards on the one hand, and on the back member and seat member on the other hand, adapted to be engaged by downward movement ofthe back member and seat member respectively, the coupling parts which connect the back mem ber with the arm standards being adapted when engaged to permit horizontal angular movement of said standards With respect to the back member for spreading the stand ards at the forward end of the arm, said standards and the seat member having cooperaing abutments toward the rear side of the seat and at the respectively opposed faces of the standards for supporting the seat member at its rear side onthe standards, said abutments being adapted to permit vertical pivotal movement of the seat on the standards for engagement of the couplings between the seat member and the arm standards at the forward part of the seat by the vertical movement of the seat.

4. In combination with arm standards, a seat member and a back member andcooperatingcoupling parts on the arm standards on the one hand, and on the back member and seat member on the other hand, adapted to be engaged by downward movement of the back member and seat member respectively, the coupling parts between the seat member and the arm standards being adapted to permit slight forward movement of the seat member for completing the engagement of said couplings, and to hold the seat member locked against upward movement when so engaged, and means on the seat member and back member which are engaged for preventing upward movement of the back when the seat member is in said locked enga ement with the arm standards. 5. In com ination with arm standards, a back member and a seat member, cooperating couplings on the arm standards on the one hand, and on the back member and seat member on the other hand, adapted for engagement by downward movement of the back member and seat member respectively, the seat-carried part of the rear couplings between the seat and the arm standards having rearwardly-extending projections which engage above the back-carried part of the couplings between the back and the arm standards when the seat is in coupled position between said arm standards, the couplings between the seat member and the arm standards being adapted at the limit of the engaging movement of said couplings to look the seat member against upward movement with respect to the arm standards, and a spring tending to complete said coupling movement.

6. In a structure such as set out in the last claim foregoing, said coupling parts between the sear. member and the arm standards being formed for completing their engagement by forward movement of the seat member with respect to the arm standards.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago ,Illonois, this 28th day of May, 1918. v

CHAS. T. METZGER. 

